


Homesickness

by insanitys_cowgirl



Category: The Hobbit (2012)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-19
Updated: 2013-03-19
Packaged: 2017-12-05 20:18:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insanitys_cowgirl/pseuds/insanitys_cowgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thorin kept a close eye on their hobbit during the first few days of the journey, and went to great lengths to make sure nobody, especially not the hobbit, noticed him watching. And Thorin had noticed a few things off about Bilbo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homesickness

**Author's Note:**

> I suppose this could be seen as either gen or slash, but mostly it's just me killing time. Hope you enjoy!

Thorin kept a close eye on their hobbit during the first few days of the journey, and went to great lengths to make sure nobody, especially not the hobbit, noticed him watching. And Thorin had noticed a few things off about Bilbo. For one, the hobbit could not sit a pony, and ended up sore the first few nights. He ate less than the others, if he ate at all. He kept to himself a lot, didn't speak up, not even to complain or ask questions. Bilbo seemed ill at ease, and the farther he got from the shire, the more uneasy he seemed to become. And, the most troubling among the things that Thorin noticed, Bilbo didn't sleep more than an hour each night. It kept him going, but the weariness was starting to show.

Thorin wanted to be angry at Bilbo, for being weaker, for being soft. This not sleeping or eating enough business was foolish. But he understood. Bilbo was homesick. And Thorin understood homesickness. The most content he ever saw the hobbit was when Bilbo was smoking his pipe. That was the last bit of home he had with him.

So, as much as Thorin grouched and grumbled, he couldn't find it in himself to actually be angry at Bilbo. Because Bilbo had left everything he cared for behind to help Thorin with his quest, and to be angry would be ungrateful.

So Thorin continued to watch their hobbit, and he noticed after a couple more days that the exaustion was really getting to Bilbo. Something had to be done. So that night, after all the others had fallen asleep, excepting Gandalf, who sat a few feet outside of camp, keeping watch, Thorin took action. He slid from his own bedroll, gathering up his blankets, and made his way over to where their hobbit was laying awake.

Bilbo jumped when Thorin laid down beside him, turning over to stare at the King Under the Mountain in confusion. Thorin just smiled reassuringly, or, in a way that he hoped was reassureing, he wasn't sure if he managed it, and spread his blankets over the two of them, hitching an arm around the hobbit and tucking the smaller frame against his chest. Bilbo was tense, watching Thorin from over his shoulder as the dwarf made himself comfortable.

"Why are you-" Bilbo began to ask, but Thorin shushed him.

"Sleep, burgaler." Thorin huffed into Bilbo's ear, thightening his grip on the halfling just a little. "We have a long road ahead of us, yet."

It took Bilbo a while to relax and lay his head back down, but even then he did not go to sleep. Even after Thorin fell into slumber, Bilbo lay awake. He missed the shire, missed his bed and his books and the security of a roof above him and four walls surrounding him. He missed it so much that sleep seemed impossible. But, he had to admit with a barely stifled yawn, this was the most comfortable he'd been since he'd left. The dwarf was really warm. And the deem timbre of Thorin's soft snores was hard to resist. Snuggling back into the dwarf just a bit, and focusing on the steady cadence of his breathing, Bilbo drifted off to sleep.

                                                                                                                          ...

When Thorin awoke the next morning, Bilbo was still asleep against him. But, the rest of the camp was beginning to stir, and the dwarf-king and the hobbit were receiving confused stares from the other members of their party. Excepting, yet again, Gandalf. Who just smiled a knowing smile and went about his business. Thorin glared and gestured for the other dwarves to go about theirs.

The others complied, rolling up their bedrolls and preparing breakfast without a single word about it. Save for Fili and Kili, who Thorin could have sworn he heard giggling to themselves as they went to fetch water. It wouldn't surprise him at all, knowing his nephews, if they were to eventually gather up the courage to tease him-or the hobbit, more likely-about this.

Thorin watched the others from his place at Bilbo's side, unwilling to move and wake the halfling. Just as breakfast was ready, and Thorin was beginning to think he'd have to awaken their burgaler after all, Bilbo stirred, rolling over and staring blearily at Thorin.

"Good morning." Said the Hobbit, ever polite.

"Good morning." Answered Thorin, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes-I, I-I did, thank you." Bilbo's cheeks flushed slightly and Thorin chuckled at the sight. It was the most color he'd seen in the Hobbit's face since the night this journey began. And it was a most welcome sight, indeed.

Bilbo joined the others for breakfast, and to Thorin's relief, ate his share for once. And when Fili and Kili began to poke fun at him about the previous night's sleeping arangements, the hobbit told them, on no uncertain terms, to go bugger themselves. Thorin laughed at his nephew's stunned faces, and the rest of the company stared on with amusement as the two young dwarves then attempted to coerce Bilbo into wrestling with them.

The fun ended when Fili and Kili landed Bilbo in a nearby river, laughing as they tossed him in and never suspecting for a minute that Bilbo would drag them in with him. Thorin had never seen anyone look so smug whilst water dripped from their nose. The only thing more entertaining was the sight of his nephews, dripping as much water as the halfling, and attempting to look irritated despite their fits of giggles.

Heartened by the morning fun, Thorin began to think that maybe Bilbo was more at ease now, for whatever reason, and the trip may be made a bit easier on the little hobbit because of it.


End file.
